A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder: A Countess of Harleigh Mystery by Dianne Freeman

Image provided by Kensington Books

    I find I go through streaks where I reject book after book for one reason or another.  For some reason, I just don’t want to read what I have on hand. 

    I was going through one of these streaks when I began reading A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder.  As I read, I found myself relieved.  Finally, I had found a book I wanted to read to the end.

    Frances Wynn, AKA Lady Harleigh, AKA Countess of Harleigh, is ready to break free from her family.  She has completed her year of mourning for her husband, Reggie, and wants to escape her brother-in-law and his wife.  Graham and Delia have been using Frances’ money to keep up the household.  With Frances leaving, and taking the money with her, everything may fall apart.

    Taking her daughter Rose with her, Frances moves to the city.  She finds a place to live, and experiences a great sense of freedom and accomplishment.

    Then things start to go wrong.

    The first attack on Frances’ newfound freedom comes when she is confronted by an inspector.  Inspector Delaney has been tasked with looking into Reggie’s death.  A death that happened over a year ago, and was declared a heart attack.

    That, however, is not the full story.  Yes, it is likely Reggie died of a heart attack, but it happened in the bed of his mistress, Alicia Stoke-Whitney.  Distressed over discovering Reggie dead, Alicia went to Frances for help.  Together, along with the assistance of George Hazelton, the brother of Frances’ best friend, they moved Reggie to his own bed to prevent a scandal.  With Reggie’s death now being investigated as something other than natural causes, Frances is worried what else about that night, and what about her relationship with Reggie, may be revealed.       

    The next problem Frances is forced to deal with comes from Graham.  As he is now strapped for cash, he is trying to claim the money Frances’ father set aside specifically for her belongs to him.  It is a farfetched claim, but strong enough to freeze Frances’ bank accounts until the legal case is worked out.  Fortunately, just as Frances despairs about how she is going to live, her mother sends money intended for Frances’ sister, Lily, during her coming-out season.

    Lily is coming from America to England in hopes of landing a husband with a title.  It is the exact same thing Frances herself did, although it was her mother who was far more concerned about the title than she was.  After experiencing the unpleasant marriage she had, Frances wants to lead Lily in a different direction.  One where she takes her time and marries the person right for her, not their mother.

    Coming with Lily is Frances’ Aunt Hetty.  They arrive right after Frances finds out they are coming to England.  Somehow the message did not get to Frances in time for her to prepare for their arrival, but she welcomes them anyway.  When they all agree Lily does not need a wardrobe from France, and the money her mother provided can go towards living expenses, Frances is able to breathe again.

    Or at least she can for a short while.  Helping Lily find a suitable husband is not an easy task.  To make matters worse, there have been a series of thefts at dinner parties and balls.  One happens at an occasion Frances and Lily attend, and Frances finds a stolen bracelet planted on her.  Having come in contact with each of Lily’s suitors at this event, Frances now sees them all as suspects.

    After this a footman is murdered.  When Frances returned the bracelet to its rightful owner (to Alicia, ironically), the footman overheard them talking about people at the party.  One of those people, a suitor of Lily, is someone he has information about.  He arranges to meet Frances to tell her what he knows, but he is killed in her back garden before he can reveal anything.

    And the events don’t stop there.  Attempts are also made on Frances’ life.  By this point, Frances knows she has to figure out what is going on before she or someone she loves is harmed.

    The characters in this book are a lot of fun.  Well, most of them are.  I could do without Graham and Delia.  Other than that, I really like the people involved in this story.  Even Inspector Delaney, who, despite his rough start with Frances, is a good character.  As is Lady Fiona Nash, Frances’ best friend and George’s sister. 

    George.  That is a whole other thing to talk about.

    It is very clear there is a romance brewing between George and Frances.  They live next door to each other, and worked together on the investigation.  But after the marriage Frances had, it is understandable why she would be hesitant to become involved with anyone.  Especially someone who knows the secret about her husband’s death.  Still, I have a feeling a romantic relationship is going to progress between these two.  It’s just a question of how long it will take for them to get together.